Agency gets state funds for HIV prevention

KALAMAZOO—Community AIDS Resource and Education Services has secured $217,204 in annual state funding for HIV prevention through 2012.

The money, which comes from a pool of $2.5 million awarded to various organizations by the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Intervention Section of the Michigan Department of Community Health, is in line with previous years’ awards to CARES from the state.

“The amount isn’t much different than previous years but feels like less because our need keeps increasing,” said David Feaster, director of client services for CARES. “It’s not our only source of funding, but those other funding sources are where we’re seeing declines.”

Feaster said funding for CARES from nonprofit and private organizations has been falling in the down economy.

A recently announced 2011 budget proposal by the Obama administration, if approved, would mean increases in HIV prevention funding at the state and local levels. But it would be a year before any of proposed increases would be seen.

Kalamazoo-based CARES provides education, prevention and support services to people in 11 counties. The nonprofit organization has an operating budget of about $1.25 million.

The majority of the newly announced MDCH funding is expected to be targeted at programming for young African-American adults, an increasingly at-risk population, according to Feaster.

“We have very specific targets that we are required to reach by the state,” Feaster said.

Nonprofit or private organizations that provide financial support to CARES also often request that the money be spent on certain programs, strings that Feaster said can be a challenge for the organization.

“More and more the trend is to target because these foundations don’t want to pay for things that aren’t aligned with their values and mission,” he said. “We may get a certain amount of money, but a donor will ask that we only use 7 percent for administrative costs.”

While the costs of HIV/AIDs prevention and care continue to outpace increases in funding, Feaster said there is cause to “be proud of the system we have in Michigan.”

“The people who need stuff get it,” he said. “In other states, if you can’t afford the medication, you’re out of luck.”